Gundams And Roses
by Moon Gazer
Summary: Yep, its an Sailor Moon/ Gundam Wing crossover. I'm rather proud of it. What would happen if The Dark Moon family had other plans to remove the heir of the moon? Read to find out!
1. DISCLAIMER

"And the big deity thingy in the sky that man has fought and argued about over the years and whom the atheists don't believe in created anime, and they saw that it was good. Then they created Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon and decided those weren't half bad either. Then they decided to take another crack at it and created fandoms. But the fans did squabble and did squeal about whom owned what and so the big deity thingy realized they'd screwed up and so created big annoying communes and called them corporations and for some ding batted reason, decided they were good and made them own the anime's and now the fans had to come up with disclaimers and the deity decided that was good. And then this particular writer came up with this disclaimer to say she don't own this stuff and probably never will, and the deity didn't particularly like this smart assed disclaimer and they did pelt the writer with teddy bears and golden grahams and orangutans, but the writer ignored them, so the deity just gave up and decided they would have to make do and that four out of five goods wasn't bad anyways. And so it was and so it will always be." 


	2. Gundams and Rosesprolouge

Prologue  
  
  
  
  
  
"Remember, stay together and no matter what, keep your destination in mind. You mustn't be separated or you could be lost in the sea of Time forever."  
  
The scouts nodded and joined hands. Sailor Moon smiled down at Rini before raising her gaze to Tuxedo Mask. He smiled back comfortingly and took Rini's other hand. Together, they all passed through the Time Gate and into the swirling abyss before them.  
  
* * *  
  
The pressure was unbearable and was growing by the minute. Debris whirled about and the wind shrieked. It all went unnoticed by the phantasm who stood in the center of it, an intangible, slick path behind him, as if where ever it walked, the path was fouled by his evil presence. He watched as the group entered the time warp, chuckling evilly to himself.  
  
"The future will never happen..if they cannot find each other."  
  
* * *  
  
"AHH!!!!!!!!! I don't think I can take much more of this!"  
  
"Hold on minna-san!"  
  
"I'm holding, I'm holding, but this pressures too much!"  
  
"Come on, Scouts, you can..." Tuxedo Mask's encouraging speech was cut short as he spotted a large pile of debris flying directly at them, "LOOK OUT!"  
  
His warning came too late and the pile hit the group in a headlong collision, pulling their hands apart, despite their vain attempts to hold on. Sailor Moon watched in horror as she was forced further and further away from everyone.  
  
"MINNA!!!!!!" Her calls were drowned out in the high-pitched screaming of the wind. Suddenly, a stinging sensation occurred in the back of her head, as her head made contact with a shapeless substance. Slowly and willingly, she sank into unconsciousness. 


	3. Doing the Time Warp

Gundams and Roses  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
  
  
  
"Is everyone alright?" The girls wearily rose from where they had landed. After the mass had hit them, they had been tossed this way and that, until they landed with a thud on a solid surface. So far, Sailor Mars, Venus and Mercury and Rini were conscience. Jupiter was still on her back, rubbing her head and Tuxedo Mask was out cold.  
  
"I think so"  
  
"Where's Sailor Moon?"  
  
"She's not here?"  
  
"What do you mean she's not here?"  
  
"Hold on, calm down. She's gotta be around here somewhere. Let's look for her, but don't go too far, ok?"  
  
"Someone has to stay here with Tuxedo Mask and Rini."  
  
"I'll stay." Mercury offered. The rest accepted her offer and split up, calling their leaders name.  
  
"Ungh..what happened?" Mercury looked down to see Tuxedo Mask rubbing his forehead groggily. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.  
  
"Where is everyone?"  
  
"Venus, Mars, and Jupiter went to..check out our surroundings." The girl lied, not wanting to tell him the truth.  
  
"Where's Sailor Moon?" It was the second time that question had been asked, and each time, the pang it caused grew worse and worse. Mercury stared at her computer, pretending to analyze the ground while she gathered her thoughts carefully. Tuxedo Mask watched her, apprehension growing on his face.  
  
"Mercury, where is she? What happened to Sailor Moon? What happened to Serena?"  
  
"She's..we don't know..the girls are out looking for her.", her voice died down into a whisper, as she looked at his face. He paled, jaw set in fury and pain. Abruptly, he pushed himself up, agitatedly pacing. He stopped only when the others returned. Their sad and worried faces told the story.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"We.we can't find her." Mars replied.  
  
* * *  
  
She faded in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of someone or someone's talking above her.  
  
"What are we going to do with her?"  
  
"Why not leave her here? We have no time for weaklings."  
  
"Wufei, geeze! We can't just leave a damsel in distress in the middle of nowhere at this hour and she is most definitely a damsel in distress!"  
  
"Say what you like, Maxwell, she's nothing but a weak onna."  
  
"Hmph. What do you think, Heero?"  
  
"Hn. Let's get her to the scientists. They can handle it from there."  
  
"Ok, let's get her into the truck.."  
  
The voices faded out as she slipped into unconsciousness again.  
  
* * *  
  
Slowly cracking her eyes open, she was first aware of a pounding in her head, followed by a dull ache in her body. She tried to move her hand up to her forehead, but found it to be firmly restrained. Alarmed, she lifted her head and looked about. Her other hand was also fastened down to the chair she was on, as well as her feet. Pulling at the bonds proved to be fruitless and only caused pain. She was dressed in only a pair of shorts and a sports bra.  
  
At the sound of a door closing, she looked up, startled, to see five men enter the room. The first had large goggles on and a robotic arm. Following him was a man with the oddest haircut that strangely resembled a mushroom. Next came one who was in serious need of a nose job, after which came a bald man. Finally, one with a strange mustache entered, closing the door behind him. They lined up in front of her, critically analyzing her.  
  
"She's perfect."  
  
"I suppose she'll do. But is she strong enough?"  
  
"We'll soon find out."  
  
"And this time we won't fail, will we Doctor J?"  
  
The one with the robotic arm glared.  
  
"No, this time we won't. This time we will create the perfect soldier."  
  
She looked at them, alarmed. What were they talking about? Where was she? What happened?  
  
"What is your name?" Dr. J asked.  
  
"It's.." Terror stuck in her throat as she tried to recall the answer to the simple question. 'What was it..oh my God! What is my name!?'  
  
"I can't remember."  
  
"Can't?"  
  
Averting her eyes to the floor, she shook her head. The doctors looked at her, before huddling together. Muttered phrases rose from the group.  
  
".head trama.."  
  
"..amnesia.."  
  
".no memories.."  
  
".perfect.."  
  
* * *  
  
3 hours ago  
  
* * *  
  
The doctors looked up as the five boys filed in, Duo and Trowa carrying a girl in between them.  
  
"And to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" J asked.  
  
Heero nodded in the direction of the girl.  
  
"We found her."  
  
"And you brought her here?"  
  
"She's suffered a head injury and she was alone." Heeros' voice was monotone, giving no indication to his feelings on the subject.  
  
"And what do you want us to do with her?"  
  
G pulled on J's sleeve, saving Heero from having to answer. The scientist's exchanged a look before retreating back a few feet, whispering to each other.  
  
Eventually they turned back to the boys.  
  
"We'll take her. You will wait outside. We will be out to talk to you later." The boys nodded and handed the girl over to the scientists, before leaving the room.  
  
* * *  
  
".no memories.."  
  
..perfect.."  
  
The men turned back. She looked up at them, swallowing nervously. Her heart was racing and she was sure that it would soon break free of the confining ribcage.  
  
"Well, first things first," J began, "That hair has to go."  
  
* * *  
  
Heero leaned up against the wall, next to the door. The rest of the boys were scattered around the room. Wufei sat in a chair and was looking royally pissed to have to play any part in this. Trowa was staring blankly at his lap. Quatre, who had just arrived, kept shifting his gaze between the door and Trowa. Duo, unable to sit still, was pacing up and down the room until Wufei grabbed his braid and tied it to a chair. Duo glared at him, picked up the chair, and resumed pacing.  
  
Unknown to the doctors, Heero could hear everything they were saying from his vantage point at the door. His eyes widened as the words "perfect soldier" and "she'll do" floated into his hearing range. 'They were going to.no!'  
  
"No!"  
  
The rest looked up, startled at the boys exclamation, and even more so when he began to kick down the locked door.  
  
"Heero, what are you doing?"  
  
The boy grunted as the oak door splintered and gave way. He charged in, just in time to see Dr. J holding a pair of scissors over one of the girls ponytails, ready to cut it off. The scientists looked up, startled at the intrusion and even more startled when they realized who it was.  
  
"Heero! What are you doing?" The boy said nothing and pulled out a gun, training it on J. The scientist's, boys, and the girl alike stared at him in shock. Heero's eyes narrowed and he nodded at the girls bonds.  
  
"Undo them."  
  
J watched him carefully, calculating the odds of getting out of there with minimal injuries. He had trained the Perfect Soldier..he wasn't so sure that he could control him.  
  
"And just why should we do that?" Without a flinch, Heero pointed the gun at the floor near J's feet and fired. The small room echoed loudly with the report.  
  
"Because next time, I won't miss."  
  
The scientist's looked at each other, self preservation warring with the desire to complete this new experiment. J slowly pulled the scissors away from the girls' head.  
  
"You see Heero, we can't really do that. Now, before you shoot me, let me explain why." Walking over to a nearby computer, J motioned for the boys to follow him. He pulled up a file and turned the screen to face them.  
  
"This is the Selenatron. She's a new Gundam, modeled after TallGeese, but obviously smaller in size. Her speed makes up for her lack of stature however, and she is equipped with a thermal disk, guns, and is also capable of handing a thermal staff. The problem is, due to her small size, none of you," J took a moment to wave his hand around at the group, "would be able to pilot her. This girl however, is perfect. We will train her and she will become your equivilent, if not more so, as the Perfect Soldier."  
  
'What is it,' Duo thought, 'that these guys have with the word perfect? Jeeze, are they this picky over their morning coffee?' He promptly had to repress a snicker at the thought of the scientist's measuring the coffee grain by grain for that 'perfect' mixture.  
  
Heero seemed to be battling his own inner demons. It went against every degree of his training to even be thinking this. What was he thinking? A ready voice gave him the answer. 'To keep another innocent from his hell.' Still.another Gundam..the soldier in him argued that another Gundam and pilot would be a good resource. The thoughts ran through his head over and over, until he firmly buried both of them, putting his mind on autopilot.  
  
Duo looked over at his friend, seeming to see what was running through his head. Duo was the only one who could do that. To anyone else, even Enigma couldn't crack Heero's code(A.N. Enigma was a machine in WWII that the Germans used for coding. It was considered to be state of the art and uncrackable, until a group of code crackers from the Allies worked their butts off somewhere in Britain and figured it out. Good job guys!). Stepping forward, Duo interrupted the scientists, who had gone back to muttering amongst themselves.  
  
"Hey, why can't we train her?",Everyone, except Heero, looked at him like he'd just grown another head. Duo looked at them all and pushed on, "Seriously! On the job training. We teach her, she helps us nuke OZ, we all go home happy."  
  
Wufei looked from Duo, to Heero and then back to Duo. Well he'd be damned. Maxwell had actually come up with a plausible idea. And what's more, Wufei could actually see the possibilities to it.  
  
"So," J began, "you think the five of you could do a better job than us?" Heero stared at him for a moment before nodding. J smiled meanly as the other scientists undid the girls bonds. Finished with that, they forced her to stand, shoving her at the boys. Duo caught her as she stumbled, allowing her to use him for support. Heero glared one last time, turned on his heel and left, followed by the others.  
  
* * *  
  
"Where could she be!?"  
  
Mercury looked up from her computer, where she was searching for any life forms on the dimensional plane. The machine beeped a few times before the words 'No results' flashed across it's screen. She frowned.  
  
"Guys?"  
  
Everyone turned to her expectantly. All the girls were looking haggared, but Tuxedo Mask was the worst. Someone might have thought that he'd had a fight with a nervous breakdown and lost, he was so taut and jumpy. Several hours, perhaps even days of searching with no results hadn't helped any.  
  
"Either..either she's on a totally different plane..or she's no longer in the time warp.which means.."  
  
"Which means she could be anywhere in time." A new voice interrupted. Everyone looked up to see Pluto walking towards them.  
  
"Puu!" Rini ran towards her friend and hugged her. Pluto hugged her back before turning her attention back to the group.  
  
"Mercury is right. She's no longer in the time warp. I can't tell you exactly where she is. This storm has caused the threads of Fate to become tangled and blurred, so I can't read them." She frowned and added, almost to herself, "it's almost as if..someone.",Shaking her head, she continued, "The important thing now is that you find her as quickly as possible, before time is affected any more. I can send you in the right direction, but the rest will be up to you." Waving her Time Staff, she opened another swirling portal. The group looked at each other and nodded before stepping through.  
  
* * *  
  
(AN. Considering that the scouts were in a time warp, nearly a year has passed with the G-boize..and gurlz now that I think about it..)  
  
"DUO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET BACK HERE WITH MY HAIR TIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The brunette grinned and took off at hyper speed.  
  
"Gotta catch me first, Des!"  
  
"Why you little!" The two dashed through the safe house, both of them narrowly avoiding furniture and pilots alike. Eventually, Destiny paused, took a sharp right and cut across the house, before sliding to a stop and waiting. A few minutes later, Duo came dashing by and with lightning speed, she reached out and grabbed him by the braid. She was dragged a few feet before he came to a complete halt.  
  
"OW! Destiny! That hurts! HEERO!!! HELP!"  
  
Heero, who was walking past the room, looked over and shrugged.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Heeee-rrrroo!!!!!" He rolled his eyes and walked over. First he gently pried the hair tie out of Duos hand before removing Destiny's hand from the baka's braid. Des smiled at him and triumphantly waltzed out of the room. Heero and Duo looked at each other for a moment, a uneasy silence settling over them. Duo cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak when the reedy sound of a siren cut him off. Wufei, Quatre and Trowa all ran past the room on their way to the hanger, followed by Destiny, braiding her hair as she went. She slowed when she saw them.  
  
"C'mon guys! Mobile dolls about 50 miles north of here. Looks like OZ wants to play. Save the confessions for later, we've got work to do!"  
  
"Gotcha!" Duo followed after her, Heero behind him. Feelings would have to be saved for later.  
  
* * *  
  
The scouts stumbled out of the time portal, only to be knock to the ground by what felt like a small earthquake. Fire flew overhead in the sky and the noise reached unbearable heights. Metallic giants were scattered all over the ground, firing at anything in sight. The group jumped out of the way, just avoiding being hit by a collapsing building. Tuxedo Mask dropped down and looked over to Mercury, who had landed near him  
  
"What the hell is going on here? Where did Pluto send us off to? World War III?"  
  
"I don't think you're far off", Mars replied.  
  
"What are those?" Rini asked, pointing at something in the distance. Six new machines were flying towards the field. They were different from the others, and each had a distinct antennae..including one with a cresent moon.(AN. It wasn't my idea.my friend came up with it..not that I don't like it.) Jupiter watched as the new comers set to work, quickly clearing the field of the other machines, and she'd be damned if she weren't sure that they were having a blast doing so. Suddenly, one of the machines, the one with the cresent, turned towards them and "looked" at them, before striding in their direction.  
  
* * *  
  
Destiny was having a blast. She didn't worry when it came to the dolls because they didn't have any pilots. To her, no pilots meant no guilt afterward. Suddenly, something showed up on her scanners. Turning, she zoomed in on the signal, turning on a visual. Five girls, and a guy.  
  
".In a tux? What the hell are civilians doing on a battlefield?!" Turning Selenatron, she began to walk over towards them, intent on getting them out of there. She'd had enough blood spilt by her hands, she decided. She wasn't about to be responsible for six more.  
  
* * *  
  
"Uh guys..I think that things coming this way." The girls tensed, ready to attack. Without taking her eyes off the machine, Mars spoke.  
  
"We all realize how nuts this is, right?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"And we do realize that it would probably be a good idea to scatter and run.right?"  
  
They nodded again.  
  
But they were frozen to the spot in fearful fasination. Rini shrieked as the machines hand suddenly came down toward them and scooped up the ground they were standing on. Tuxedo Mask, on instinct, threw a rose at it's "face". The rose stuck in the metal, but did nothing.  
  
"So now what do we do?"  
  
"We wait."  
  
* * *  
  
Destiny scowled at the flower that was stuck on the glass in front of her.  
  
"I hope you know I just got that sheet replaced." She muttered to herself. Jetting her Gundam away from the fight, she stopped near a forest, about 100ft away from the battle. Grabbing a gun, she stepped out of the cockpit to face the group in front of her. Ignoring them for a moment, she reached up and yanked the flower off her gundam. 'A rose? You gotta be kidding me.' Turning back toward the group, she tossed the flower back at them. They stared at her, mouths open. She began to ask them who they were and what in hell were they doing in the middle of a battlefield when she was cut off by a transmission in her gundam. Quatres voice came over the system.  
  
"Des.Des, are you there?" Sighing, she pulled herself back into Selenatron. Flipping a switch, she opened her end.  
  
"Yeah Quat, I'm here. You guys need me back there?"  
  
"No, whatever gave you that idea? There's only about a few hundred of them and five of us.I think we can handle it..oh and did I mention that Trowa's out of ammo.again?" Duo's voice interrupted, sounding staticy.  
  
"Ok, ok, I get the point. I'll be there in a moment." Sticking her head out of the cockpit, she yelled down to the dumbstruck group, "I'm gonna dump you off here. Don't go anywhere,k? I'll be back later." With that, she closed the cockpit door and slowly, Selenatrons hand let them down.  
  
* * *  
  
Tuxedo Mask shakily looked at the other girls, unconsciously detranforming. They followed suit, looking just as shaken.  
  
"She.looks just like."  
  
"Serena.pilot one of those things? Yeah right!"  
  
"Yeah but."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Ami? Could you run a scan?"  
  
"At the moment, no. I don't have enough data."  
  
* * *  
  
Destiny yelled in triumph as yet another doll blew up, before she was jammed hard against her harnass.  
  
"Oof!" She turned to see that another mobile doll had decided that she would make a good target, "That does it! No one uses my ribs for a punching bag and gets away with it!" She threw her thermal disk, a move that was strangely natural to her, at the doll, hitting it with deadly accuracy. The machine stood still for a moment, as the disk returned to Seleantron's hand, before exploding.  
  
Eventually the whole field was cleared, leaving only the six gundams and smoking piles of scrap metal. Destiny reopened her transmission, sending a signal to the other five gundams.  
  
"Hey guys, I'll be right back."  
  
"Sure thing Des. Where ya goin?"  
  
"I'll explain later. Just cover me and watch out for flying plant life."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Like I said, I'll explain later." She closed her end of the signal and turned her gundam back towards the woods. Stopping a few feet short, she opened the cockpit door, grabbing another gun as she did so. Being prepared, she decided, never hurt. Lightly jumping down, she looked around. Now where could they have gotten to? She shook her head. Trust civilians,probably tourists at that, to not stay put.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Slowly six heads peered out from behind various trees. They watched her, and she wondered what was causing the odd looks on their faces. Hadn't they ever seen a soldier?  
  
* * *  
  
Darien stared at the girl. She was so familiar, despite the braid and clothing. But could this be 'his' Serena? She seemed so different, so self assured and then there was the fact that she didn't look like she'd have the slightest problem blasting their heads off if she felt threatened. He sneaked a glance over at Rei. It looked like she was having the same thoughts.  
  
Slowly, they stepped forward, until Mina broke rank and dashed towards the braided girl. Throwing her arms around her waist, she began incoherently babbling at hyper speed.  
  
"Serena! It's you! IknewitwasyouIknewitIknewitIknewit!!!!!!!!!Ohmygod,Ican'tbelieveit,it'sactua llyyou!!!"  
  
The girl looked down for a moment, a puzzled expression on her face. Slowly she pried Mina off her ribs and stepped back. Looking over the group, she shook her head, though she didn't know what she was denying anymore than they did. Lita took a step forward and Destiny responded by taking another back. Darien, near tears, swallowed hard, before speaking.  
  
"Serena? Don't you remember us? It's me, Darien."  
  
She frowned, trying to place his face. He and the girls looked on hopefully. Slowly, she shook her head, noting the crestfallen look on their faces with a twinge.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I've never seen you before in my life." 


	4. Dancing Gundams, PDA's, and one heck of ...

Gundams and Roses  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
The group stared at her in shock. What did she mean she'd never seen them? This 'was' Serena, right?  
  
"Serena, don't you remember?" Rini began, "you're Serena, Sailor Moon and the Moon Princess."  
  
Destiny looked at the girl and snorted in amusement.  
  
"Yeah, ok.and Selenatrons gonna put on a tutu and dance to Swan Lake."  
  
"Selenatron?" Lita interrupted.  
  
"My gundam." Destiny answered, waving her hand at the machine behind her, "Look, this isn't the best place to be talking. I'm going back to the safehouse. If you wanna come, you're welcome. I don't think you'd try anything, and I seriously doubt your OZ spies." To herself she muttered, "and even if they were, they'd have to be downright insane to walk into a house with six gundam pilots." Turning on her heel, she grabbed a cable and was lifted back up to Selenatrons cockpit. Sending a signal to the other gundams, she waited for their arrival.  
  
'Let's see.six of them.six Gundams.sounds good.I just hope Wufei won't try killing them first.'  
  
Fifteen minutes and much ranting from Wufei later, each Gundam pilot had taken on a new passenger. Destiny had taken the girl with pink hair, since she was the only one that could easily fit behind the seat in the smaller gundam. Setting her gundam on autopilot, Destiny turned her attention to her passenger.  
  
"So, what's your name?"  
  
The girl looked up at her, startled for a moment.  
  
"Rini."  
  
Smiling, Destiny turned back to face the control panel. The kid was cute, she'd give her that much. Weird hair,though.  
  
"Mine's Destiny. You can call me Des for short, if you want."  
  
They flew on in silence for a few more minutes, before Rini spoke.  
  
"Uh.Se.Des, do you know anyone named Serena Tsukino?"  
  
Destiny frowned, trying to recall the name. It seemed like it should be familiar, but no one in particular came to mind. Looking back, she smiled slightly.  
  
"Nope, sorry kiddo. What's she look like?"  
  
"Well..she's got a lot of hair and wears it up in odangos and she looks a lot like you."  
  
"Looks like me, eh? I must have one of those faces."  
  
The child looked like she wanted to argue, but Destiny turned back around, ending the conversation. Rini sighed and sat back.  
  
* * *  
  
Back at the safehouse, a storm of activity took place as rooms were fixed for the newcomers. Des had to admit, when Quatres staff went all out, the REALLY went all out. The rooms were all in the south wing of the house, and each had a view of the sea. Distinct care had been taken in choosing the furnishing that went into each room, depending on the personality of the inhabitant (though how they could have determined that so quickly was beyond Destiny.). After watching them fly about for a few minutes, she turned and walked out to the living room, where a storm of a different sort was brewing. The boys and the newcomers, she decided, were definitely not hitting it off. Sighing, she entered the room.  
  
"Wufei, put down the katana, Heero, hand over the gun, Duo, give the brunette back her scrunchie and Trowa, Quatre..hello?..HEY!!!!! GET A ROOM!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sheepishly the two lovebirds broke apart. Heero, set the gun down on the table, but not before training it on Duo and nodding over at the other brunette. Grumbling, Duo handed back the hair tie before flopping down on the sofa and sulking. Wufei, however, refused to set down the katana. Des mentally compromised and simply stepped between him and the other group.  
  
"Look, before you all kill each other, I've got a few questions." 'I can't believe I'm having to do this.' Turning around, she looked over their guests.  
  
"Hey, calm down. You're not here for interrogation. I just have a few questions.",Turning to the first girl, the one with short blue hair, she began. "So.what are your names?"  
  
"Ami"  
  
"Rei"  
  
"Lita"  
  
"Mina"  
  
"Darien" He looked hurt. She could have sworn that he'd actually expected her to know his name already. That was weird, she decided, but not half as weird as the look that flashed through his eyes as they met hers. Shaking it off, she sat down across from them, a wall of gundam pilots forming behind her.  
  
"And I know you're Rini." She added, speaking to the little girl. Rei looked up, startled.  
  
"You do? How?"  
  
Destiny raised an eyebrow, puzzled.  
  
"She.told me." She watched as the raven haired girls face fell and closed off. A twinge on guilt rose, but she pushed it aside.  
  
"Alright, now I know you, let me introduce myself and my friends." 'Thank you for all those etiquette pointers, Quatre. They may have been as boring as hell, but thank you anyway.'  
  
Not bothering to stand up, she turned in her seat to look at the pilots, silently receiving permission to give away their identities. Nodding slightly, she pointed at them one at a time.  
  
"This is Heero Yuy, extraordinaire in pretty much anything.well.aside from makeup.unless he's keeping something from me.." She grinned as he glared.  
  
"Anywho.moving on, this nutcase here, otherwise known as Duo Maxwell, is one of the best guys I know, despite the obsession with hair ties." Des watched knowingly as Lita and Mina practically swooned at the grin that Duo gave. 'Here we go again. Poor Heero'. Duo, noticing her look, grinned even more and threw an arm around her shoulder. Leaning close, he whispered,  
  
"Aww, c'mon Des, you gotta let me have some fun!"  
  
She looked at him for a moment, before answering.  
  
"Fun for you, yes, but who's gonna end up cleaning the drool that they leave all over the floor?"  
  
Duo, risking a glance at the black haired man across from him, had to repress the urge to cringe, before an unholy idea entered his head. Plopping down on the couch, he declared loudly,  
  
"C'mon Des, you know you still my favorite girl!"  
  
She stared at him with a look that clearly said 'we are so having a talk later'. He winked.  
  
"Please continue, Des."  
  
"Yeah.anyway.Mr. Silent up there." , leaning her head back, she glanced up at Trowa, "waaaaayyyyyyy up there.is Trowa Barton. Next to him, this cute little blonde that you see is Quatre Raberba Winner. And not quite last, and certainly not least, we have Chang Wufei, more commonly known as Wufei.or Wuffers, Wuffy-Poof, Wu-man, Wu-bear." Des stood up and started backing away as a furious Wufei advanced, katana in hand, "Wufies, Wuff there it is.and occasionally.Dragon!" Wufei paled momentarily, before springing over the sofa. Destiny yelped and ran..right into Darien, who had stood up only moments ago. She looked up for a moment, smiling sheepishly.  
  
"Um.sorry."  
  
"DESTINY!!!!!!!!!!! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY, ONNA!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"EEP!!! Bye!"  
  
~*~½ hour later~*~  
  
Wufei stalked back into the room with a grimly satisfied look on his face, followed by Des, nursing a cut on her arm.  
  
"I hope you know this is one of my favorite shirts."  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"Hmph." She threw herself onto the sofa, glaring at him. The girls and Darien looked on, mildly shocked. A slightly uncomfortable silence followed, in which Destiny discovered that while she had been gone, Heero and Darien had taken to glaring at each other. Honestly, the overall effect was quite disturbing and neither of them were going to give way anytime soon. She glanced over at Quatre, silently pleading for help. He caught her gaze and nodded. Clearing his throat, he broke the heavy silence.  
  
"Perhaps I could see our guests to their rooms right now?" Destiny sighed in relief and jumped up.  
  
"I'll help." She added, eager to get away from 'Wuffers' while he still had that blasted katana. Leading the way out of the room, she looked over her shoulder, winking at Duo before sticking her tongue out at Wufei.  
  
* * *  
  
"And this is your room. Lovely view of the ocean, modern.uh. stuff..blah, blah, blah.heeellloooo? Hey.uh.what was it.Darien? You in there?"  
  
He stared out the window, completely oblivious to Des's chattering. This wasn't right, he thought. They should have found her, rescued her, and gone home happy. Instead, she pulls a gun on them, has no idea who they are, and to top it off, flirts with another guy right in front of him. His fists clenched at that last part, ready to throttle the absent Duo.  
  
"..Darien? Earth to Darien? Anyone home?" Startled, he looked down to find Serena.Destiny.standing directly in front of him, ready to wave a hand in front of his face.  
  
"So, you are in there. I was just saying that you can probably borrow some clothes from the guys.maybe some of Trowa's stuff..well, his oversized stuff." She added, looking him over.  
  
Not bad, she thought, not bad at all. Cute.definitely.too bad she was too busy for a relationship. But then again, what kind of a relationship could she possibly offer? Oh hi honey, luv ya, by the way, I've got to go off to fight again, so if I'm not home in three weeks, assume I'm dead, k? Bye! Whatever.  
  
Shaking off her gloomy reverie, she smiled up at him.  
  
"Well, I think that's about everything. I'm gonna go and check up on the others, so.talk to you later?"  
  
He stared down at her, still not believing that she didn't know him, hoping it was all just another nightmare. She gave him an odd look, before turning around and walking toward the door. At the door, she paused.  
  
"Oh, I forgot to mention, dinner's usually at 6:30ish, but if your hungry before then, the kitchens open." Then she slowly closed the door behind her. What was up with that guy, she wondered?  
  
"Ya know, I'd almost be willing to swear he was a few screws short of a lawn mower." She muttered to herself. After checking on the others and enduring a few more odd scenes, Destiny took to wandering aimlessly through the house. Who were these people, and what were they doing here? And what was with their acting like they knew her? True, she didn't have any memories of her past,which is where they might have known her. but still.something didn't quite fit.  
  
The clothing! That's what had been bothering her! Not only was the clothing way outdated, but some of those companies had gone out of business nearly 75 years ago. It was a rarity to see Levi jeans anymore and yet two out of the group had them.  
  
"Get a grip, girl. Just cause they're clothings outdated, doesn't mean anything. For all you know, they just might like vintage."  
  
That was true. Glancing out a nearby window, Destiny had a view of the ocean in the evening light. Glancing at her watch, she decided that a quick swim couldn't hurt and she hurried off to her room to find her bathing suit.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, the girls and Darien had gathered in his room, to discuss their current situation.  
  
"Firstly," Ami began, "we need to know where we are."  
  
"And when," Rei added.  
  
"Yes, and when."  
  
"Perhaps I can help with that." A new voice volunteered from the door. They all turned to see a short blond.Quatre.their minds supplied, standing at the door. He smiled and walked in.  
  
"What year do you think it is?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Well," Ami answered, "It was June 12, 2001 when we left, so it should only be the thirteenth or fourteenth of June."  
  
Quatre frowned.  
  
"2001? AD?"  
  
"What else would it be?" Lita asked, challengingly.  
  
"Well."Quatre replied slowly, "We stopped using the BC/AD system almost two centuries ago. It's the year A.C.196."  
  
"A.C?"  
  
"After Colony"  
  
* * *  
  
A swim, she decided, had been a good idea. Swimming out to a little island a quarter of a mile off shore however, had not. Sighing, Destiny pushed herself up from her reclined position on the sand, squinting at the distant shore. It never seemed too long, she mused, until you were in the water with fifty plus meters beneath you. Sighing, she paced slowly down to the waters edge, preparing for the trip back. Wading in to her waist, she pushed off the sandy bottom, and into a steady rhythm of strokes. Slowly, she settled into a pattern. Reach, breathe, slice, kick, reach breathe, slice, kick. The outside world melted away along with her fatigue. She allowed her mind to drift, and it unerringly wandered back to the strangers. Who were they? What were they doing here? And why in hell did they act like they knew her? Her thoughts distracted her until she mistimed her stroke, taking in a mouthful of water instead of air. Sputtering, she forced her body upright, discovering that her toes touched bottom. Looking about her, she saw the shore only ten feet away. Smiling ruefully, Destiny waded out of the water, ignoring her shaky legs.  
  
"Well, what I wouldn't give for a watch right now. That just put an Olympic record to shame."  
  
Wringing out her braid, Destiny hid a grin.  
  
"Hello Duo. What brings you here?"  
  
"Well, when you aren't one to miss dinner, sooo.when you weren't around for supper and your bathing suit was gone.."  
  
"You went through my dresser?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Duo.."  
  
"Mina did!"  
  
Destiny stared at her braided comrade, deadpanned, before a slight smile graced her lips. Shaking her heads and muttering about long haired bakas,of either hair color, she made her way towards him. He held out a shirt that he had been holding and she took it from him, pulling it on as she walked. He followed her, his lopsided grin ever apparent and to look at them, you'd have thought they were keeping the funniest secret in the world. 


	5. Diaries and Denial

Gundams And Roses  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Destiny stared at the screen in front of her, searching for the right words. She'd taken to writing down her thoughts. It began as an attempt to make sense out of a crazy world where she had no place, but was now habit.  
  
Opening up older files, she smiled as she reread her training adventures. One in particular caught her attention.  
  
February 2, AC. 195.  
  
I trained with Heero today. Duo wasn't kidding when he called the guy "The Perfect Soldier". I'm no pansy myself, but he's got me beat through and through. But that's not why I'm writing. I used to think he had no feelings. I was just another resource for him, to use when needed. But that's not true. He doesn't show it much, but he's a pretty cool guy under that brick wall exterior. What makes me think this, you ask? He lent me a shirt. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Here, let me explain.  
  
~*~ They had been training, which ranged from hand to hand combat, to arms, to Gundam maintanance. Destiny, who by the end of the five hour session, was sticky, filthy, and exhausted, tugged at her shirt, making a noise of disgust as it stuck to her back. Heero watched her silently, a slight smirk apparent.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're like Duo."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nothing." He shook his head. Destiny stared at him for a moment, before turning her attention back to her clothing. 'It figures.the one day I train with him and the washing machine is on the fritz.again.' She snickered as she remembered what the machine had done to Wufei's pants. They now rivaled Heero's spandex for shrinking ability. She looked up again, only to discover that Heero had vanished.  
  
"He is too damn good at that." She muttered, wandering around the room in search of another shirt. Her search was interrupted as a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around, fist pulled back and tensed for impact, before she realized that it was only Heero, who had returned and was hiding something behind his back.  
  
"Hn. You're getting better, but you should have heard me coming. I purposely shuffled."  
  
"Uh.huh." Destiny was still rather dazed.  
  
"Here." He shoved a piece of cloth into her hands before turning and walking out of the room. She looked down. A simple white button down shirt that she immediately recognized as being his. Shaking her head slowly and smiling, she started to change.~*~  
  
Reopening the file she had been working on, Destiny once again found herself stuck. She'd been trying to write down how she felt about the new guests..and she used the term loosely, she added.but she couldn't seem to come up with the right words or emotions. Well.actually, guilt came to mind, but then again, what reason did she have to feel guilty? They were obviously confusing her with someone else. She had no past, and didn't need one. At least not for now. All she needed now was to win this war, and from there.well, only time could tell.  
  
A small sound caught her attention and she turned to find Rini at the doorway. She smiled, beckoning the child in, before turning back to her computer.  
  
"What's that?" Rini asked.  
  
"It's my diary."Destiny replied, preparing to close the program.  
  
"Is that how diaries are kept in the future?"  
  
Destiny stared down at the pink haired girl, amused.  
  
"You really are from the past, aren't you?"  
  
The child nodded solemnly.  
  
"So, you believe us?"  
  
"Well, stranger things have happened."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Destiny leaned back in her chair, placing her hands behind her head.  
  
"Well..the Queen of the World is just a fifteen year old girl. Same age as me. The fate of the colonies depends on six soldiers rather than an army..and I'm fighting for a cause that ,as far as I know, has absolutely nothing to do with me. For all I know, I might owe my loyalty to our enemies. Crazy world, huh?"  
  
Rini looked at her, confused. She looked and sounded like Serena.but the way she thought and moved.Serena had been a bit of a klutz.Destiny moved like a cat.Destiny sounded.well.older.and Serena sounded every inch of a fifteen going on sixteen year old teen. It was all so confusing. Without meaning too, the word, "Mommy", slipped past her lips, tears settling into her eyes. Destiny watched her, concerned.  
  
"Where is your mother, Rini?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Aw..Rini..c'mere," Destiny pulled the little girl to her, stroking her hair softly. Then, picking her up, she began to walk around the room, as if soothing a babe. 'Well, it always works with those five million nieces and nephews of Quatres'.' Taking to the hallway for more pacing room, she made her way about, whispering quietly. Slowly but surely, she felt Rini relax, her weight becoming heavier as she fell asleep. Soon, Destiny was rewarded by a gentle snore. She turned, heading for the stairs, intending to put the munchkin in a bed.  
  
At the stairs, however, she was met with five questioning stares from the newcomers. How was it they seemed to pop up everywhere? Maybe she should check her clothing for a tracking device later. Carefully shifting her weight, Destiny brought a finger up to her mouth, and then and open palm, indicating for them to wait. After carrying Rini upstairs and tucking her into a bed(she couldn't help but smile when the child snuggled under the blanket and began to suck her thumb), she headed back for the stairs.  
  
"Library." She stated, holding up a hand to stave off questions. This whole scene had been building up for days and she knew it. All the looks and underlying tensions were starting to get to her and she knew that now she and this group would hash it out. Opening the library doors, she quickly checked to make sure no one else was there, before allowing the rest of the group in, closing the door behind them. She silently took a breath, steeling herself for how she was going to have to act. If they were going to have her go through this, then she was doing it her way or no way.  
  
"Alright, first you answer my questions and then I answer yours. Got it?"  
  
Rei was the first to speak up, indignant.  
  
"Hey, what gives you the right."  
  
"Look, if you don't want answers, fine by me. I've got plenty of other things I could be doing and I'll find out about you sooner or later anyway." 'Damn I hate playing the bitch.' Destiny turned and started to head towards the door, before she was interrupted.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Slowly turning back, she faced Darien, who had taken a few steps forward. He met her gaze evenly, steel that could match her own evident.  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Who are you, what are you doing here, and why do you think you know me?"  
  
Darien took a few steps closer, unnerving her completely, as she struggled not to let her nervousness show. This made no sense, she argued. You've stood up to guys who wanted you dead, or worse, in their beds, and never even flinched. She stepped back lightly, moving over to a window.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"We've already told you who we are. We're here because we're looking for someone and we're convinced that someone is you."  
  
Destiny looked back at him before snorting in amusement.  
  
"You're kidding right? Who'd wanna look for me? You wanna know where I was found? On the side of a road, left to die. I have no past or family. The only people I trust are the ones I'm staying with and you want me to believe that you know me and have been looking for me? Oh and let's not even go into that bit that Rini spouted when I first met you.what was it?"  
  
"Sailor Moon," Ami supplied quietly, "as well as Serena Tuskino and the Moon Princess."  
  
"Exactly. Look at me. I'm a soldier. I kill people, destroy lives and go home happy and now you expect me to believe that there's a bunch of people out there, who have been searching for me so we can all go home happily ever after. Well let me tell you something. In my line of work, there is no happily ever after!", Destiny's voice rose into a yell, before dropping. "There's never any happily ever after and I'm used to it. I know how to do my job, I do it well, and I don't need you telling me that there's hope for a different life when there isn't one!"  
  
"Is that what you think?"  
  
"Yes it's what I know."  
  
'Besides, why would they want me? I've killed innocents. Children..I've made orphans, widows.If Duo is Shinigami, then I am Despair.'  
  
Darien watched the blonde haired girl closely. She was hurting and he could feel it. She was stubborn too, a fact that he didn't need any sixth sense to know.  
  
Destiny turned back to face the group.  
  
"Well, I'm done with my questioning. Your turn."  
  
Ami began. Somehow Des wasn't surprised. The blue haired girl seemed to be the most analytical of the group.  
  
"What is your full name?"  
  
"Destiny."  
  
"Just Destiny?"  
  
"Just Destiny."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Roughly 15 and a half."  
  
"Roughly?"  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
"Have you been in any accidents lately?" An idea popped into Ami's head, which she put to the test, "suffered any head trama?"  
  
Destiny paused. This was a rather sore spot for her, one which she was still a little fuzzy on.  
  
"Y..es..yes, a little more than a year ago."  
  
By now, everyone was paying attention to the exchange, leaning forward in their seats.  
  
"Did you suffer any side effects from this trama?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And they were?"  
  
Destiny stared at the floor for a moment, unsure if she wanted to share this with the group. For some odd reason, the subject made her touchy, as if it were a weakness, something she couldn't control.  
  
"Complete amnesia."  
  
"Wha.?" Mina left off as Rei dug into her ribs. Turning, Destiny walked away from the group, towards the door.  
  
        "Look, just cause I don't have any memories, doesn't mean I'm the person you're looking for. Trowa doesn't have the greatest memory bank either and I don't see you questioning him.",she paused at the door,  
  
        "Besides, even if it is true, that's not who I am anymore. Why should I pretend to be anything more than I am?" 'A disaster.'  
  
        And with that, she lightly closed the door. 


	6. Club Hopping and Solitare

Gundams and Roses  
  
Chapter Four  
  
To see the household at the breakfast table the next morning, one would have thought that nothing had happened. Destiny and Duo alternately poked fun at their comrades and each other, Heero stodgily worked his way through his cereal, Wufei hid behind a newspaper, occasionally retorting to some of Duo's more obscene comments and Quatre attempted to keep some semblance of peace with Trowa silently backing him up. The newcomers kept quietly to themselves and it was barely noticeable that Destiny was going out of her way to ignore them.  
  
"So," Quatre asked, during a rare moment of silence when both Duo and Des had paused for a breath, "what are everyone's plans for today?"  
  
"Well," Destiny began, "now that you mention it, I did want to take a look at Selenatron. Her reaction time was down last battle. I've got the bruises to prove it," she added ruefully. Duo spoke up after her, claiming that he had some shopping to do. Heero.well.. grunted.  
  
"And what about you, Wufei?"  
  
The Chinese man looked over his newspaper.  
  
"Avoiding those two," he gestured toward the braided ones of the group, "as much as possible."  
  
* * *  
  
"God damned possessed electrical systems! Who in their right minds would wire a machine like this? I swear those old geezers really DO have it out for me! OW!"  
  
Destiny, nicely tangled in a pile of wires, was busily sorting out different wiring systems, attempting to find the loose wire that she knew was in there somewhere. She uttered a few more choice phrases as she cut herself on an uncovered cable.  
  
"Enjoying yourself, woman?"  
  
Looking up, her eyes met with Wufei, a large smirk on his face.  
  
"I thought you were avoiding me at all costs."  
  
He gestured back towards the house.  
  
"Too many people."  
  
"You mean too many girls. What'd they do? Try to plait your hair?"  
  
"You don't know the half of it, woman."  
  
"You know, Wufei, I'm well aware of what my gender is."  
  
"I know, but it can't hurt to remind you."  
  
Destiny grinned. Oh, he had a sense of humor. An odd one, yes, but it was there. And he was most definitely enjoying himself right now. It had taken her months to learn how to read his moods, but then again, she was a quick study, as Quatre had put it. She watched amused, as he stood and began to detangle her. She didn't bother to thank him, knowing full well that if she tried, she'd probably end up flat on her back. That was another oddity of his. He hated to have people running about, thanking him for this and that. 'Guess it doesn't fit in well with the justice spiel'.  
  
"So, what do you think of them?" Destiny asked as Wufei settled down next to her to sort wires. He didn't need to ask whom she spoke of.  
  
"They're strong."  
  
"Hn. High praise indeed."  
  
"Watch what you say, Destiny. You're starting to sound like Heero."  
  
"God forbid!" she managed to get out between giggles.  
  
He glared at her, good-naturedly. They had an odd relationship that was for sure. It was based somewhere in respect, and extended into a sort of loyalty. It worked, she mused. I annoy him, he beats me up, and the next day, we've forgotten about it. Still, she wondered why he respected her. Trowa said it had something to do with the fact that she was able to bounce back from complete amnesia to become a competent pilot or something along those lines. She was just glad to have his friendship, not an easy thing to come by at any means.  
  
"What do you think of them?"  
  
Destiny shook herself out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Me? I think they're.confused."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"They think I'm something I'm not."  
  
He nodded, not saying anything else. It wasn't time, he sensed, and she needed to do some more thinking before he gave any advice. They settled back into sorting, a companionable silence falling over them.  
  
* * *  
  
Darien, after being hustled out of his room by the house staff (they claimed they needed to clean the room, though why was beyond him. You could perform a surgery in there, it was so clean.), wandered about the house. Soon, he found himself following a pair of voices, which led him to the hangar. He stood at the doorway, watching Wufei untangle Serena.Destiny.before they went back to the wires. His insides flip flopped as she laughed. Why was it like this? The question came back for the hundredth time that morning. His eyes took her in, memorizing how she tucked her hair behind her ears, the glitter in her eyes as she joked around with her companion. Things he knew far too well. Was this what it had been like for her when his memories were missing? Had she felt like this every time he brushed her off, or saw him talking to another girl? He jumped at the feel of a hand on his shoulder. Whirling around, he faced Quatre. How was it this kid always seemed to show up at just the right time? It was as if he could read minds or something. Quatre moved up next to him, leaning against the doorframe. Darien, after another cursory glance, settled his gaze back into the hangar.  
  
"You love her, don't you?"  
  
The dark haired man paused for a moment.  
  
"Very much."  
  
"I thought so. So why don't you tell her?"  
  
"She's not speaking to me."  
  
"That doesn't mean she's not listening to you." Quatre replied, turning and beginning to walk away.  
  
"Wait," Darien called after him. Quatre stopped and looked back. "How did you know?"  
  
The blonde grinned.  
  
"Trade secret."  
  
* * *  
  
About a week and a half later, Destiny could be found walking up the path to the house, when she was jumped and blinded by a masculine pair of hands and hearing a very familiar, very American sounding voice.  
  
"Guess who, Des?"  
  
"Um.. Zechs Marquise?"  
  
"Nah.my hair looks better."  
  
"Ever sure of yourself. Are you going to restore my vision to me anytime soon?"  
  
"In just a minute." He teased, leading her toward the house, "first I have a few questions."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yep. Firstly, what's today?"  
  
"Um.Monday?"  
  
"Actually, it's Friday, but that's not what I meant. What's today's date?"  
  
" Somewhere in the summer months in the year 196 AC?"  
  
"That's a little vague, Des. Could you be more specific?" She could tell they were inside now, the coolness of the air-conditioned house contrasting sharply with her warm skin.  
  
"Uh.nope."  
  
Sighing, Duo, released her, and dragged her over to a calendar.  
  
"Today," he pointed at the calendar, "Is July 15." Destiny's eyes widened for a moment, before a gigantic smile broke across her face. July 15 was the day they had chosen to celebrate her birthday, since it was also the same day that they had found her.  
  
"Oh my god! I'd forgotten completely!"  
  
"Well, we haven't. Everyone else is waiting for us at the restaurant and after that.remembered that promise I made a couple weeks ago?"  
  
"How could I forget? You promised we'd go clubbing, just the two of us!"  
  
"Yep, but.well.we need to have a look at your wardrobe."  
  
Destiny looked down at the old T-shirt that nearly stuck to her from the excessive heat and her faded pair of jeans, before looking back up with a grin.  
  
"Well then.let's get started!"  
  
*~*45 min later~*~  
  
Heero looked at his watch for the third time that minute, noting that Darien was doing the same. He was about to call Duo when the door to the restaurant opened, and the two absentees entered. Duo, resplendent in his customary color walked Destiny over to the table. Heero looked over her outfit.  
  
"It suits you."  
  
Destiny blushed slightly, a triumphant grin on her face. She didn't know how Duo had talked her into the black pants or the silver shirt with the black lace over shirt, but now she was glad he had.  
  
Everyone settled back as a troupe of waiters headed for the table. Destiny looked around the table, marveling at the mixture of people. The newcomers.though they really couldn't be called that any more, were starting to mix in quite well, though things were still a bit tense between her and Darien. The girls chattered with each other and the guys, even prompting an occasional response out of Trowa.  
  
"So Duo," Quatre asked while the drinks were being passed around, "where do you and Des plan on going for your "date"?" He smiled at the last word, knowing full well that the two were nothing more than friends. However, a little voice in his head quipped, Darien doesn't know that. He'd seen right through Duo's ploy from day one, knowing that he was purposely flirting with Destiny to annoy the dark haired man and now he decided that it was his turn to play. (AN. The masses are complaining about how I've twisted their 'angel'. Angel my foot! That boy's got a mischievous streak a mile wide!) After all, a little push in the right direction couldn't hurt.  
  
"Ya know, we're not really sure, Quat. Any suggestions?"  
  
"Hm..well, there is that new club downtown. It's supposed to be really nice."  
  
"Oh yeah," Destiny quipped up, "I've heard about that place! It's got the newest in lighting and sound tech! Um.oh, what's it called?" She frowned in concentration, biting her lower lip.  
  
"Darkstone." Heero supplied.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's it. Thanks Heero."  
  
Just then, the waiters reappeared.  
  
"You folks ready to order?"  
  
"Umm.we'll need a few more minutes," Quatre replied with a sympathetic smile. Heero chose that moment to notice Duo's outfit. He almost choked on his Coke.  
  
Heero growled, "Duo, *what* is *that*?", indicating the semi- transparent black-and-silver mesh shirt he was wearing. The poor waiter was caught in the path of the Ice Glare .  
  
"Eep.I-I'll be b-b-b-back i-in a few minutes." With that, the poor, terrified young man ran off.  
  
Duo was grinning at Heero. He'd worn the shirt specifically to get a rise out of him. "What? This old thing? It's club gear, baby!" He winked at Des, who stifled a giggle.  
  
"Club gear?" Darien was once again looking hurt and glaring at Duo. Because of that, Heero had given up glaring at Duo about the shirt and was glaring at Darien. None of the others were even fazed. This was an every- day occurrence. Well, sort of. Not necessarily Heero glaring at Darien in particular, but Heero glaring in general.  
  
"Duo's taking me out dancing for my birthday! He's been promising that we'd go out, just the two of us, for *weeks*!" She could have sworn that Darien's ears literally started smoking at that statement. 'This is too much fun. I think I finally understand why Duo loves teasing Wufei so much.um.why *am * I teasing him? Ah, who cares?'  
  
Duo was torn between wondering why Heero kept glaring at that Darien guy and completely cracking up at Des's act. He had to admit, he'd taught her well.  
  
"So, Des-chan, wanna try that Darkstone place? Or hit Scarlet Moon?" Duo took care to put emphasis on "chan".  
  
"Both! Let's try the new place first then if it turns out lame, we can go to Moon."  
  
"Sounds good, hon."  
  
Now she was *sure* his ears were smoking. And it was starting too look as if Heero's were too.  
  
At this rather inopportune time, the waiters reappeared.well, most of them.  
  
"Are you.ready to order.? Um, wecouldwaitifyoulikeit'snoproblemreally!"  
  
"S'ok" Des replied, "I think we're ready."  
  
45 minutes , a sushi dish, pork chop flambé, a varied assortment of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, several drinks(possibly spiked), and one Fed echini Alfredo later, Quatre paid the bill and left a generous tip for the waiters (most of whom were still cowering in the corner),and they all headed out. At the doors, Duo and Des split from the group and headed for Duo's motorcycle to begin their evening of club hopping. Darien stood glaring at Duo and looking massively hurt at Des. (AN. You can do both of those at once? Well, well, well, he certainly is a man of many talents.uh, interpret that however you like.:::runs off carrying her hentai little mind with her:::) 'A motorcycle? Life's just not fair. I want my Serena.' he whimpered mentally to himself. (Quick author's note: Yes, we're being cruel to poor Dare-bear. We'll make it up to him later. Promise. huggles Dare)  
  
"C'mon Dare, we're heading back." Lita called.  
  
Rei walked up to him and took him by the arm to lead him to the car.  
  
"It's ok, Darien. We'll figure something out. We'll get her back."  
  
'Yes, we will,' he thought, ' but will we get her back in time?'  
  
Sighing, Darien followed the others to the limo.  
  
~*~30 min later~*~  
  
"Here we are!"  
  
"Holy shit Duo! This place looks awesome!"  
  
"Tsk, tsk, Des, such language!"  
  
"Oh yeah, like you're any better!" She replied, climbing off the back of the bike.  
  
"So, Duo, you planning on wiring the motorcycle with explosives to deter any thieves?"  
  
"I don't need too. It's Heero's bike too. He'll personally track down anyone stupid enough to take it." Destiny laughed and just to emphasize Duo's point, Destiny pulled out a sticky note from her purse, scrawled "Heero Yuy's bike" on it, and stuck it to the motorcycle.  
  
"You are going to remember to take that off, right? Otherwise, it'll be you who Heero tracks down and kills."  
  
"Good point." They were now headed towards the front doors, and already, they could feel the music pulsing.  
  
~*~Back at the safe house~*~  
  
For once, Darien and Heero were in the same room and not glaring.. they were pacing instead.and shouting.loudly.  
  
"Did you see what she was wearing?!"  
  
" Her! What about Duo!"  
  
"I could care less about what Duo has on! She's MY girlfriend!"  
  
Heero stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
"You're what?"  
  
"MY GIRLFRIEND! Do I need to spell it out!"  
  
Heero simply stared for a moment. Slowly, a smile grew on his face, followed by a light chuckle (AN. Which is about as close as a real laugh Heero Yuy gets this far along in the story. Don't ya worry folks, he's gonna be VERY happy by the end of this thing!)  
  
"What's so funny?" Darien all but growled.  
  
"The thought of Destiny with a boyfriend. She's.she's."  
  
"Scared." A new voice put in. Both men looked up as Quatre walked into the room.  
  
"Scared?" Darien echoed. Heero only nodded slightly, turning the idea over in his head a few times.  
  
~*~At the club~*~  
  
"Alright, where are you Duo Maxwell! GET YOUR CUTE LITTLE BUTT BACK HERE! I KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO SIGNED ME UP FOR THAT KAROKE! YOU ARE SO DEAD MISTER!"  
  
Duo laughed and continued to weave his way through the crowd. Destiny began to follow him, before a devilish grin spread over her face.  
  
Duo returned to their table some fifteen odd minutes later, curious as to why Des hadn't bothered chasing him. He gave her a questioning look, which she returned with a smug glance of her own.  
  
"Well, ladies and gents, it looks like we have two new singers to welcome tonight!" the MC's voice blasted over the crowd.  
  
"Right on time." Destiny said, more to herself, rubbing her fingernails on her shirt. Duo warily sat down, waiting to see what would happen next.  
  
"One of them," the MC continued, "is a girl with a name that says it all. Let's have a round of applause for Destiny! But first, her partner in crime is gonna give us all a warm up act. Give it up for Duo Maxwell!"  
  
Duo paled and glared across the table.  
  
"You didn't."  
  
"I did." Destiny answered, meeting his eyes.  
  
Shaking his head, Duo slowly stood up, making his way towards the stage. Oh, she was gonna get it. She was REALLY gonna get it. He stalked up to the MC.  
  
"What am I singing?" he growled.  
  
"Uh.Duo, right? Let's see.you're down for .RESPECT by Arethra Franklin. Here's your mike. Thanks for volunteering and have a great time!" the man finished with a big grin. It could be worse, Duo mused. It could be Spice Girls or something along those lines. He stepped onto the stage. Through the smoky haze he could see Destiny. She gave him a cheery wave, a thumbs up and settled back with a drink.  
  
By the end of the first verse, Duo was relaxed, by the second, he was enjoying himself and by the third he had forgiven Des for doing this to him. Finishing up, he grinned and sent a "look" to Des. She grimaced and stood up, making her way toward the front.  
  
"So Mr. Shinigami, what delightful torture do we have planned for my poor and defenseless soul today? The rack, the Chinese water torture or the stage?"  
  
"Well, Miss Destiny, as the first two were getting rather old, I've decided for the third."  
  
"Cocky bastard" Destiny muttered.  
  
"You know it." Duo replied with a wink, handing her the mike.  
  
"So, what am I singing?"  
  
Duo, who had been on his way back to their table, stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, gremlins dancing in his eyes.  
  
"I'm a survivor, by Destiny's Child."  
  
******************************safehouse**********************************  
  
"Scared." Quatre repeated.  
  
Darien sat down, burying his hands in his hair.  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Oh, quite a few things. Some things I can tell you. Others I can't. For starters, she terrified of you and your friends."  
  
"He has a point," Wufei interrupted, as he entered the room, "I wouldn't call her a loner, but she's ."  
  
"In a shell." Heero finished, "She's in a shell and scared to come out." Wufei and Quatre looked at Heero, surprised by the insightful comment and the fact that it contained multiple clauses, but wisely, said nothing.  
  
"But why?" Darien groaned, sounding frustrated, "Was it something I did? Did I say something, do something?"  
  
"No, not really," Quatre put in quietly, "Well, you did actually, but it wasn't anything you could help. You were just doing what came naturally to you. Loving her. The problem is, I'm not sure why, but that scares her. Did she tell you how she was found?"  
  
"By a roadside."  
  
"Alone, half unconscious, battered.we still don't know why she was so beat up.to all appearances, left to die. How must that feel? To think that the whole world has given up on you and no one cares anymore? And if the whole world has given up on you, why should one person care? That's why she's scared. She doesn't think it's real. You'll leave too, leaving her behind, cold and battered, just like everyone else did."  
  
Darien surged to his feet, anger thrumming through his veins.  
  
"I would never leave her behind." He hissed in a deadly soft voice, "Don't you ever say I would do that."  
  
"I never said you did," Quatre answered, more than a little unnerved by the larger man's unexpected response, " I was just trying to get inside her head, so to speak. Think what she thinks."  
  
Slowly, Darien sat back down, visibly controlling himself.  
  
"If you want to get anywhere with her, you have to regain her trust." Wufei said, "then she'll listen to you, not before."  
  
Trowa walked into the room, breaking the tension.  
  
"Do any of you have Destiny's beeper number?"  
  
"I do, Trowa." Heero replied, "Why?"  
  
"She has a mission."  
  
"With?"  
  
"Solitary."  
  
"Since when do they send her on her own?" Wufei asked with a scowl.(AN. AWWW!!!! Wufei almost sounds.protective.:::gasp::: What is the world coming to?)  
  
"Since now." Trowa answered with a shrug.  
  
*************************Club*************************************  
  
"Hey, nice job on that song Des!"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say Duo. Just you wait till I.."  
  
"Till you what?"  
  
"Hold on." Des said with a frown, pulling out her beeper, "It's from Heero."  
  
"Really? What's up?"  
  
"What's this thing look like? A cell phone? How am I suppose to know?"  
  
"Well, go find a phone."  
  
Ten minutes later, Destiny returned, looking disturbed.  
  
"I've got a mission. Solitary. There's a base being constructed and it's making whatever the Hell group we're fighting for antsy. So guess who gets to blow it up? God, I'm sorry Duo. I really wanted to do this with you."  
  
"It's ok, Des. C'mon, let's get back to the safehouse."  
  
"Ok. But why did they choose me? Why not one of you guys?"  
  
"Who knows what runs through the minds of those old nutcases? Hey, you'll be back within a few hours and we can always go clubbing next weekend."  
  
"Duo, there are times when you can be annoyingly cheerful."  
  
"And that's."  
  
"Why I love you, yes I know smart ass. Now let's get this show on the road." 


	7. Mission Jitters, Late Night Meetings , a...

Gundams And Roses  
  
Chapter 5  
  
  
  
Destiny headed straight to the hangar as soon as she and Duo got back. It was just like Duo said. A couple hours, she'd be back and that would be the end of it.  
  
"Figures. I get first mission jitters instead of first date jitters." She mused to herself as settled back into the cockpit of her gundam, preparing to take off.  
  
Inside, Quatre and Heero met Duo.  
  
"Where is she?" asked Quatre.  
  
"Already getting ready to go. This is her first real mission, isn't it?" Duo asked as he stripped out of his jacket.  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
"Gee, our little Des is growing up and going out on missions already…sniff…"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Ok, ok, Heero. I'll lay off on the jokes until she gets back. Geeze bud, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about her."  
  
Six pairs of blue eyes glared at Duo. 'Wait a minute,' he thought, 'six?'. Looking behind Heero, Duo finally noticed a very confused, very peeved looking Darien. The dark haired man cleared his throat.  
  
"Would someone be so kind as to tell me what is going on?"  
  
"It's not much really," Duo began, "she's just on a mission. She blows up a base and comes back home."  
  
Darien smiled a frighteningly sweet smile. "And wouldn't this base be…oh, I don't know…guarded?"  
  
"Well yeah…maybe by a couple units, but it's nothing Des can't handle."  
  
"A couple units? What kind of units?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno…some soldiers and their guns…maybe a couple Leo's…not much more than that."  
  
Quatre winced at Duo's lack of tact. Darien looked ready to strangle Duo right there and then.  
  
"You mean to tell me that a whacked out bunch of old fogies with more bells and whistles than a cappuccino machine have sent my girlfriend and fiancé ALONE to certain attack and possible death without backup?"  
  
"Well…actually…" Quatre began, "They probably wouldn't kill her. The Gundams and their pilots make for really good hostages. And that's if they even suspect her of piloting it. No one else knows that we have a female pilot."  
  
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"  
  
"Or us?" came a chorus of voices.  
  
The group turned to find the rest of the girls standing behind them, hands on hips, glaring(AN: All in all, a pretty scary sight ^_^*)  
  
"Uh….well…heh…yes?" Duo stuttered, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. Not that he was one to be intimidated, but six angry females can have that effect. Especially when said females are known to have superpowers.  
  
Wufei, leaning against a doorway, spoke up. "You'd have to let her fight on her own sooner or later anyway. We all have our own battles where no one can help and this is one of hers. She'll come away stronger for it."  
  
Duo blinked at the Chinese boy. Was it just him or did Wufei just almost…sort of…give a girl a compliment?  
  
Destiny surveyed the building before her from behind her coverage of trees. It was small. Heck, she could go after it with her gundam if she wanted to. Still, if someone had a camera, she could just imagine the media coverage. The guys would have her head. After all, she was their secret weapon, so to speak. No one knew there was a female gundam pilot, not even that Relena girl that was always asking about Heero. Des grimaced remember one time Relena had shown up and assumed that she was just another of Quatre's servants…  
  
'C'mon girl, you're getting sidetracked. It should be a simple matter to sneak around the grounds and get this set up. Half the building isn't even done yet. You don't even have to detonate until you're in the air.'  
  
Sighing, Des gathered her supplies and hopped down from the gundam.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Destiny snuck back to her gundam, nursing some sore knuckles. She'd had to take out a guard by the west side of the building. He hadn't had a chance to cry out, but she had bruised herself slightly when she knocked the gun from his startled hands. It didn't matter though. He wouldn't be missed with all the damage. Slowly climbing into her gundam, she prepared for take off, fingering the detonator in her hands.  
  
'It's the first time I've done this…the first time I'm going to kill without a fight. It doesn't seem quite right. They don't know this is coming…'  
  
"But they will if you just keep sitting here, girl. What are you trying to do? Purposely fail a mission? And your first at that?" Resolutely, she tightened her grip on the detonator and then with a deep breath, set it off.  
  
There was a momentary pause before explosions went off one after another. A slight surge of power flowed through Des. Had she just done that? It was terrible, awful…and addictive. She suddenly understood why Duo could laugh on a mission. It wasn't a pleasant job, but when things went right, it was almost worth it. 'Almost.' She reminded herself. With a deep sigh, she flipped a few switches and took off.  
  
"Mission completed" she tiredly echoed Heero's words.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
She arrived home about an hour later, 1:00AM by the hangar clock. She stumbled about, fixing up her gundam for the night before heading for the house.  
  
"Ugh. That is the last time I go clubbing and on a mission on the same night." Silently opening the door, she stepped inside the semi dark house, quietly closing the door behind her and locking it. Seeing a light in the den, she slowly walked towards it to investigate.  
  
Darien, who had been sitting on a sofa reading, looked up at the sound of shuffling feet. Destiny stood in the doorway, watching him with a bemused air.  
  
'What in the world is he doing up this late?' She wondered as she walked over and plopped down onto the sofa next to him. Gods she was tired. Sparing a glance at Darien from the corner of her eye, she shrugged before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. 'I can always blame it on exhaustion'  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's…uh..alright."  
  
"Hmm…ok. You know, you've got a comfy shoulder."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Des smiled lightly, snuggling in a little more comfortably. She felt Darien's arm move around her and used the shift to her advantage.  
  
"Well, ya see, Duo can't sit still for more than five minutes and even then…" she paused to yawn, "he fidgets. Heero…well, that's like trying to sleep on a rock. Trowa's too bony and anyway, usually he and Quatre are busy…speaking of Quatre, he's too short and I get a crick in my neck."  
  
"What about Wufei?" Darien asked, as she paused to yawn again.  
  
"Are you nuts? I do value my life to a certain extent."  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
"But you, you've got a nice comfy shoulder…g'night." Destiny's voice trailed off as she fell asleep.  
  
Darien looked down at the girl who leaned up against him and smiled. With a rueful shake of his head, he pulled a blanket off the back of the sofa and covered the both of them before settling down to sleep himself.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"Aw…look at the cute couple!"  
  
"Yeah, don't they look so sweet?"  
  
Darien eyelids reluctantly rose, taking in the four girls in front of him. They stood around the sofa in a circle, with giant goofy grins on their faces. Looking down, he smiled slightly himself when he saw Destiny, who was now sprawled across his chest and sound asleep. She stirred slightly as Rei poked at her calf and tried to pull the blanket over her head.  
  
"Go 'way Duo. It's not time to get up. Iss Saturday."  
  
Darien chuckled before speaking.  
  
"It's not Saturday Destiny and she's not Duo."  
  
Slowly the blond girl raised her head, blinking groggy eyes. She looked at the people standing around her, rubbed her eyes and looked again. With a groan, she grabbed a nearby pillow and flopped back over on the other side of the sofa, head under the pillow.  
  
"Well go 'way anyway. It's gotta be an off day."  
  
"OH DEH-ES!!!!!!!"  
  
Destiny moaned as a loud and rather obnoxious voice rang out from the hallway. Pulling the pillow off her head, she gazed up at the ceiling, as if pleading for a few more minutes of sleep. As the voice rang out again, she glared before swinging her legs off the sofa and stalking out of the room, her thoughts bent on strangling a certain braided baka and it certainly wasn't herself.  
  
"Well, that was certainly interesting." Ami commented.  
  
"Yup!" Rei grinned, "Some things never change! She's still not a morning person."  
  
Destiny trudged towards the kitchen. 'I. Need. Coffee! Blah! And that is so the last time I sleep in stretchy pants. I think they're stuck!' And so she continued as she poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned sleepily against the counter. Once she had a few sips in her system, she set down her cup and settled down to the task of untangling her hair from everything else. Pulling it out of its holder, she slowly ran her fingers through it, thoughts lazily drifting. She had a mission report to write, she reminded herself, and after that, maybe she'd go for a swim or perhaps head for the weight room. It would be nice to work out the kinks she had accumulated during the night.  
  
"C'mon girl, it's not like you did anything that awful. I mean, no one was even hurt…well, except a few bricks," she reasoned aloud.  
  
"Are you alright?" Destiny looked up as Trowa walked in and over to the fridge.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a tough time getting used to blowing things up for some reason. There's the initial adrenaline rush, but afterwards…"  
  
"You wonder why you even bothered? What did it really change? When is this silly game of tit for tat going to end?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. But hey, we all have to deal, right?"  
  
"Perhaps some of us weren't meant to deal with it."  
  
Des looked at him, confused.  
  
"Whaddya mean?"  
  
"We're out of milk." Trowa said before he walked out of the room. 


	8. Everything for the weekend from Hell Che...

Gundams and Roses-Chapter 7  
  
  
The dark figure stared moodily into the crystal orb in front of him. Damnit all, his   
plans were unraveling and after so much planning! It seemed to be time to take another   
step. Now how to go about it? Ah, yes, that would do it…perfect. A low, evil chuckle   
rose from the hooded figure. A sudden gust of wind swirled the darkness about him, and   
when it cleared, he was gone.  
  
  
"Ammunition?"  
"Check."  
"Change of clothes for self and rest of gang?"  
"Check."  
"Bottle of aspirin that will be needed after convincing gang that they need to   
change at least once a week?"  
"Check."  
"Large arsenal of mostly illegal weaponry?"  
"Check."  
"Six, bad ass five ton pieces of mecha?"  
" Check, check, check, check, check, and check."  
" One severely anal chinaman, one stoic and silent Japanese boy wonder, one   
unibanged pilot of unknown descent, complete with one blond Arabian pilot connected at   
the hip, lips, or whatever happens to be available?"  
" Check."  
Des looked up with a smile.  
"Well, that's about it then, right?"  
Duo looked up from the clipboard in front of him.  
"Sounds right. Let's get the others and get outta here. I want to be back on   
Saturday."  
"Oh? Got a hot date?"  
Duo threw back his head and laughed.  
"Yeah, well I'm sorry to disappoint all my adoring fans, but I've got television   
shows to catch!"  
Destiny gave him a level glance.  
"Duo, isn't it illegal for anyone under 18 to be getting those stations?"  
Duo threw his hand to his heart and turned his head away in mock affront.  
"Really Des, how can you think so little of me? I'm hurt."  
Destiny rolled her eyes, before standing up. Duo stood a moment later, a small   
pout still apparent. They walked together to the house, where they found the rest of the   
boys in the kitchen.Wufei was lounging in a chair at the table along with Heero, who   
was doing some last minute checks on his guns. Trowa was finishing up some last   
minute dishes, while Quatre threw together some extra food in case they were kept away   
longer than expected. Heero noted them when they walked in with a small nod, before   
going back to his guns. Duo winked at Destiny, and evil glint in his eyes before he left to   
bother the Japanese boy. Des smiled slightly to herself. It really was a wonder that those   
two hadn't killed each other, but they really would make a cute couple once they actually   
got over their insecurities.  
"Well," she said, to no one in particular, " my stuff is all ready."  
"Ready for what?" a voice from behind her asked. A very bubbly voice, Destiny   
noticed. Mina, probably. Turning around, she confirmed her suspicions.   
"Hullo, Mina." She replied. The other blonde smiled at her, before repeating her   
question.  
"Ready for what?" Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Quatre who was now   
packing the food into individual containers.  
"Oo! Are you going on a picnic?" she asked, her eyes alight at the idea. Destiny   
blinked at her a few times. She was positive that the other girl could see Heero over her   
shoulder, with his impressive assortment of guns. Then again, she thought, was it really   
that unusual for Heero to carry at least a gun anywhere? It had taken Duo two days to   
convince him that he didn't have to take one to the amusement park( and her a week to   
convince him that he needed to go. And Wufei…ooo boy.) .   
"Um…no."  
The other girls smile faded and a puzzled expression crossed her face.   
"Well then…where are you all going?"  
From the table, Wufei had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Really, this girl and   
her friends had been living with them for nearly two months now, and she couldn't figure   
this one out? Stupid onna…not at all like Des. Of course, he thought with no small   
amount of smug satisfaction, he'd had a lot to do with her training.  
" I would think it would be obvious." He snapped. Mina's gazed moved over to   
him, a small frown starting to form on her brow.  
"Oh?"  
"Des?" a small voice interrupted them all. Destiny turned to find Rini looking up   
at her. ' Oh for goodness sake, why don't we just call the others down here and get it   
over with. I mean, c'mon, what is this? A court tribunal?'   
As if in reply to her thoughts, the rest of the girls and Darien came down the   
stairs. Destiny just stared at them for a moment, incredulously, before shaking her head   
and crossing over to where Quatre had placed the food packs. ' What? Do they travel in   
packs or something? I don't think I've ever seen them alone.'   
"Des?" Rini repeated. Destiny turned to face the small girl.  
"What's up, Rini?"  
"Why are your clothes all packed up?"   
Destiny regarded the girl quietly before transferring her gaze to the rest of the (in   
her mind) unwelcome group. They were all now looking directly at her, curious   
expressions on her face. Why were they making such a big deal out of this?  
" We're on an extended mission for the next few days. And no, I can't tell you   
where, why, how, or with whom, though since you all have brains that function relatively   
well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest….where are you going?" she asked, for as she   
had finished up, Rei and Darien had turned and started back for the stairs. They stopped   
and looked back at her.  
"We're going with you, obviously." Rei replied. Des stared at her, the beginnings   
of a headache forming at her temples.  
"Um….no. You're not."  
The raven haired girls eyes narrowed dramatically.  
"Yes, we are."  
" No, you aren't." Heero interrupted. Rei's glared at him, and he glared right   
back.  
"You're not coming with us. You'll only compromise the mission and put us in   
more danger than we already are. You'll only be extra baggage to us."  
If looks could kill, the glares he was receiving would have done the job that   
multiple self-destructs never did. Unfazed, he returned to checking his gun cartridges,   
before deciding that they were satisfactory and placing them in an inconspicuous black   
duffle bag.  
It was finally decided (after much arguing) that the girls and Darien would stay   
behind, even if the reason was a paltry one (there wasn't enough room in the Gundams   
for supplies and an extra person). Running her system check, Destiny sighed in   
contentment as her Gundam hummed to life beneath her.   
Take off and arrival went according to plan, and after a quick email back to the   
safehouse to confirm their safe arrival, they turned in for the night.  
The next morning, Destiny was woken up by a rough shake on the shoulder. She   
blearily opened her eyes to see Heero. She moaned and rolled over to glance at her alarm   
clock.  
"4:30? Heero, are you trying to kill me?"  
" C'mon Des. Get up. We stand a better chance if we attack between 5:00 AM   
and 5:30, when the compound is switching security shifts." He moved on to Duo's bunk,   
and proceeded to attempt to shake the boy out of a solid sleep. Des watched with sleepy   
interest as the boys violet eyes slowly opened and a small smile played across his face.  
"Morning, Hee-chan" he murmured, before rolling over, and dozing back off.   
Destiny grabbed her pillow and smothered a hysterical laugh at the expression on Heero's   
face. If Shock had a face, this would be it, she decided. Taking the pillow she was   
holding, she took aim and heaved it at the braided boy's head.   
"Rise and shine, ya lazy bum!" she yelled at him. Duo shot up so quickly, he   
slammed his head into the bunk above him, before falling off his own bunk in a tangle of   
blankets. She hopped off her bed, wide awake now, and plucked up a corner of the   
blankets to reveal a thoroughly pissed off looking Duo.  
"Morning sweetie." She said in a syrupy voice, " We're outta here in 15 minutes."  
Duo glared up at her, and ineffectually reached out to grab her ankle as she jumped   
backwards. With a final wink, she sashayed back to her bunk and began to change.  
Fifteen minutes later, Des was out at her Gundam, clad in some of her most   
comfortable clothes. A pair of dark blue dancers spandex pants, a white shirt with the   
sleeves rolled up, and her hair pulled back in its customary braid. Grabbing a cable, she   
shimmied up to the cockpit, before hopping in. Strapping herself in, she began her   
systems check. Only a quick run through, due to the press for time. With a flip of her   
hand, the previously silent cockpit was full of voices.  
"Hey guys, I'm online."  
"Hey Des! I'm gonna kill you!"  
"Aww, what's the matter Duo? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"  
"You two, stop it. We shouldn't be fighting right now."  
A grudging silence followed that last statement.  
" This is 01 to all other pilots. System checks complete?"  
Destiny sighed. Sounded like Heero was back in solider mode.  
"Pilot 02, check."  
"Pilot 03, check"  
"Pilot 04, check"  
"Pilot 05,check"  
"Pilot 00Lunar, check."  
"Hey, why does she get the cool code name?"  
"Duo?"  
"Yes?"  
"Omae O Korosu."  
"Love you too, man."  
  
" Duo, Des, and Quatre, you take the left wing and block off any reinforcements.   
Trowa and Wufei, you come with me. We'll be circling around to the back and surprising   
the enemy while the others keep them busy." Heero's rather nasal, Des noted, voice   
instructed over the speakers.   
"Got ya, 01. Let's go boys!" she shouted over the wail of the alarms. They had   
caught the compound in the middle of security switches, as Heero had planned, but   
someone had managed to set off the alarm. The area was now swarming with mobile   
suits, but the Gundam pilots still held the advantage, since they were organized and their   
enemies were confused and disoriented. Swinging her Gundam around, Des fell in   
behind Duo, prepping her Gundam for battle.  
  
In the murky depths of the void, the dark figure chuckled and slowly waved a   
skeletal hand over the orb in front of him. The orb glowed a light green, illuminating the   
figure's empty hood.  
"Now."  
  
Des glanced at her control panel as an alarm went off. 'What's going on?'  
"Des? What's going on over there? Your systems are shutting down?"  
"I don't know Quatre."  
"Don't panic, I'll be right there."  
"No, keep going. I'll straighten it out. You gotta keep the diversion going."  
There was a pause on the other end, before Quatre's voice, now polluted with   
static came back.  
"Alright. But be ca-" his voice cut out before he could finish the sentence.   
Destiny took a deep breath, fighting down her panic. Panel by panel, she checked her   
stats. The mecha bucked suddenly, throwing her hard against her harness, her forehead   
jamming roughly against the panel in front of her. When she looked back up, the display   
panels were dead. A sudden jump in her stomach made her realize that her Gundam was   
falling. She reached for the manual eject, and pulled the lever. A whining noise filled   
the cabin, but nothing else happened.  
'Oh shit.' Was the last thing that flashed through her mind as she blacked out   
from the sudden change of pressure in the cabin. 


End file.
